ONTARIO — Ontario farmland prices increased 4.7 per cent in 2020, according to Farm Credit Canada. But five Southwestern Ontario counties saw no increase in prices. Essex, Lambton, Kent, Elg... Read more
Norfolk vegetable growers rally with 250 tractors Nelson Zandbergen NORFOLK — The ramped-up regulatory burden on bringing temporary foreign workers to the farm had Simcoe-area vegetable grow... Read more
Michigan will not close pipeline, insists Sarnia mayor; optimism in the air but much at stake Nelson Zandbergen SARNIA — The Michigan governor has threatened to close an important fuel pipel... Read more
ONTARIO — Ontario grain-drying operators are grappling with the compounding dual cost implications of the Supreme Court’s thumbs-up to the federal carbon tax and a recalcitrant Michigan gove... Read more
FINCH — The operators of a 29-turbine wind project in North Stormont are offering area residents funding for window coverings to avoid flicker shadow. They will also stop the turbine blades... Read more
81 investigations into wild pig sightings launched in Eastern and Southern Ontario since January 2020 Ontario is taking a stand against a menace that is destroying crops, threatening livesto... Read more
OSGOODE — While last year’s season coincided with “some big dips and dives” in the price of lamb, sheep producer Colleen Acres says this second Easter of the pandemic has seen a rebound with... Read more
There are now two dairy farmers across the water from Kingston where there were once 139 farms and four humming cheese factories By Connor Lynch WOLFE ISLAND — Wolfe Island is 30,000-acres... Read more
By Ed Hand ALEXANDRIA — Clear cutting is dividing the residents of North Glengarry as the township grapples with its draft bylaw. “I haven’t navigated such a touchy subject since I’ve been... Read more
By Nelson Zandbergen OTTAWA — Lest an election snuff out the effort, this minority parliament may yet produce a welcome respite from the controversial carbon tax now charged on propane and n... Read more
Vertical indoor factory herb farming is here and some traditional farmers don’t like it By Hank Daniszewski and Nelson Zandbergen GUELPH – A huge warehouse bathed in pink LED light and fille... Read more
By Patrick Meagher KINGSTON — An animal activist, who filmed himself on at least three Ontario mink farms, is now facing the possibility of a fine or even jail time. Malcolm Klimowicz snuck... Read more
By Nelson Zandbergen ONTARIO — If 2020 was difficult for Ontario vegetable and fruit growers, 2021 is shaping up to be as bad or worse as the federal government has had time to throw up even... Read more
Nelson Zandbergen Farmers Forum PAKENHAM — Eighty-seven beef cattle boarded a transport truck here but never made it to market as planned March 15. A little more than two kilometres into the... Read more
By Nelson ZandbergenFarmers Forum FINCH — The operators of a 29-turbine wind project in North Stormont are offering area residents funding for window coverings to avoid flicker shadow. They... Read more
By Patrick Meagher WINCHESTER — A retired Winchester-area dairy farmer was hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19, amidst an outbreak of positive cases in farm country. While the v... Read more
By Patrick Meagher Farmers Forum ST. ANDREW’S WEST — Father Louis Groetelaars found his own way around COVID restrictions. He got himself a hay wagon, a propane-fuelled heater, plywood, plex... Read more
Old barns are usually considered the humblest of buildings but a new Ontario group is focused on preserving them as icons of agriculture heritage. Ontario Barn Preservation is a non-profit v... Read more
Farmers and the federal government have, historically, been at loggerheads over the issue of climate change mitigation. Farmers care about the environment but government action has typically... Read more
Two of the biggest rural events of the year are planning to reopen this year. The Royal Winter Fair has announced it is planning to reopen its annual event in Toronto in November. Plans are... Read more
OTTAWA — Four days before last year’s opening of The Ottawa Valley Farm Show, its organizers made the agonizing decision to pull the plug. The day before, the National Hockey League suspende... Read more
YARKER — Kara and Darryl Enright are no strangers to side ventures. The beef farmers run a cow-calf operation at Tweed and a value-added operation turning hides into high-end leather bags, p... Read more
For years, beef farmers in Ontario have faced a frustrating bottleneck in slaughtering and processing their herd because of a shrinking number of local abattoirs. Now some producers have dec... Read more
ESSEX — One of the two Soil Champions named last month by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association wasn’t always in the soil-management business. As a young lad on his parents farm,... Read more
HAMILTON — Ben Loewith is a proud dairy farmer. So proud he invites city dwellers in nearby Hamilton to come and tour a clean and efficient modern dairy operation. That pride has been reinfo... Read more
Crop prices may look good this year, but the rising cost of inputs such as fertilizer may give some farmers sticker shock. Fertilizer prices have risen by as much as 50 per cent, with a stro... Read more
LONDON — Two years ago there was speculation that farmland in Oxford County would hit $30,000 an acre in 2019. It did. Now analysts are saying Oxford County farmland could hit $40,000 an acr... Read more
LANARK COUNTY — Lambton County crop farmer Robert Johnston is the kind of guy who can make other people really nervous. At March 4, with local soybean prices hovering at an eye-widening $17.... Read more
CLIFFORD — Clifford-area grain marketer Dan Renwick has his idea of a smart farmer: one who “took some of the crop to Vegas, but not all of it.”It seems there’s no shortage of farmers taking... Read more
AYLMER — A wall of flames 1,000 feet wide; nearly 800 cattle trapped inside a massive, burning barn; and freezing temperatures rapidly turning to ice on the ground. This is what Malahide tow... Read more
ST. ALBERT — There’s an endless parade of tools, tips and tricks to get ahead out there. But at the end of the day, focusing on doing what you do best is what it’s all about. That’s exactly... Read more
KEMPTVILLE — The proposed provincial prison to be built at the former Kemptville College grounds is facing ongoing opposition from a small but feisty group of local residents. A group callin... Read more
GORMLEY — Crop farmer, elevator operator, industry advocate and inheritor of a farming tradition from 1806, Gormley’s John Doner died on Feb. 4 after battling ALS. Doner’s ailment, also know... Read more
TORONTO — After being closed for more than a year, Ryding-Regency Meat packers will re-open. Beef farmer Eugene Burgin, of Eusi Farms at Forest, will take over the plant and renamed it TruHa... Read more
PICTON — This year was supposed to be a growth year for Sunset Cabins and Farms. The mixed farm and agritourism operation at Picton, in Prince Edward County, was looking to double its flower... Read more
Billionaires and celebrities want to be farmers too. Russell Crowe owns a 400-acre farm in Australia. Also in Australia, actress Nicole Kidman raises Black Angus cattle. Mark Ruffalo grows s... Read more
Farmers are losing control of a long-contained pest in Ontario’s soybean crop. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is starting to develop resistance to the main control method used by farmers, said... Read more
How can producers get more out of their soybeans? Sure, they’re stubborn and tough, but unresponsive too.Not so, argued Dr. Dave Hooker of the University of Guelph. Data show that from 2001... Read more
If you’re trying to keep a bag of seed from germinating before you plant it, the bag warns you to store it in a cool, dark place. Understandably, producers can be pretty leery of planting in... Read more
GANANOQUE — Bison farmers are in the business of extremes, handling livestock that are docile and happy when given space, easy on fences when relaxed. But they’ll tear through them like pape... Read more
Turnout was surprisingly good for many of the Grain Farmers of Ontario’s annual district meetings last month. But the mood was muted, with meetings held over Zoom. District 6 (Haldimand, Bra... Read more
Turnout is always troublesome for the Grain Farmers of Ontario’s annual district meetings but this year’s turnout at the January meetings dropped dramatically. While it is easier to Zoom dig... Read more
MOUNT BRYDGES — A London-area abattoir owner welcomes provincial help to finance a much-needed expansion of his business, but the program was shut down before he could even apply. On Dec. 11... Read more
PICTON — Prince Edward County’s Ontario Provincial Police detachment last month issued a phone scam warning after receiving a number of calls from area residents. Scammers called residents c... Read more
AYLMER — Clovermead Adventure Farm expects to be buzzing again later this year, much like the apiary that started it all. But for now, one of Southwestern Ontario’s biggest agri-tourism attr... Read more
MILTON — The Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame is up to a nice even 240 inductees with the seven to be inducted this year.The hall of fame is also bringing its annual induction ceremony back... Read more
GODERICH — A freight train jumped the tracks at a Goderich-area grain elevator on Feb. 1 and smashed into a transport truck, a pick-up truck and destroyed one building. No one was injured. T... Read more
One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, farm organizations are cautiously optimistic that they can find a way to bring migrant workers into Canada safely and efficiently despite stricter regula... Read more
PRESCOTT-RUSSELL — For the last decade the Eastern Ontario Agri-Food Network has been a regional network in name only. Long funded only by Prescott-Russell, the not-for-profit recently start... Read more
KEMPTVILLE — Agriculture, as an industry, is well-suited to Type A personalities. For those driven to always do more and better, there’s always something new to try, work to be done, somethi... Read more
